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Friday, April 24, 2015

Anxious Anticipation

ProfessorRoush seems to have been a little whiny about droughts and diseased roses this Spring, so I thought I would bring a brighter note to the blog, at least for this brief instant. It is far too early for blooming roses here, except for an errant and precocious 'Marie Bugnet' currently gracing my garden, but I'll show you two roses from which I am anxiously awaiting a return performance this year.

'Snow Pavement', or HANsno, pictured above and at the left, is a rose that I've tried several times to grow from a bit of root rustled from an established plant om town, but I failed miserably until I found a specimen at a big box store last year. I absolutely love the health and the pale lavender-white blooms of this very rugose Hybrid Rugosa. 'Snow Pavement' was bred by Karl Baum and introduced in 1984. She grew in my garden last year to approximately 2 feet tall and wide, and should reach her mature 3 foot girth this year. I saw two bloom cycles last year and I hope I see a few more cycles as this rose matures. There is a moderate spicy scent. I am, however, wondering a little about the hardiness of this rose. Although rated hardy to Zone 3b, our hard winter blasted it down to about a foot tall for me this spring. Of course, this was an exceptionally bad winter and I've seen several other normally tough Rugosas also smacked down to size, including usually untouched 'Conrad Ferdinand Meyer', 'Purple Pavement', and 'Blanc Double de Coubert', so just this once I'll let it slide.

A seemingly tougher addition to my garden last year was 'Charles Albanel' (pictured at right), another Hybrid Rugosa that is part of the Canadian Explorer Series. 'Charles Albanel' was bred by Svejda in 1970 and introduced in 1982. He was a very low plant for me all last season, never reaching more than a foot tall, but he doesn't show any winter damage now and is leafing out the entire length of his canes. He should get taller this year (normal mature height should be about 3 feet). 'Charles Albanel' seems to be a typical but not exceptional hybrid Rugosa, with mauve-rose tones, and untidy blossoms, 'Charles Albanel' is a thorny little guy, however, so I'm glad I've placed him away from the paths. Like 'Snow Pavement', he is very healthy and I saw no blackspot on either rose last year.

Well, that's as cheery as I can be right now. Please brace yourself for an upcoming whine about my rat-ridden tractor.

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